WAY OT Re: [TheForge] Terrorism is not funny

[Andrew Vida]

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 12:24:41 -0400, Phlip <phlip@99main.com> wrote:


> any dark skinned person is hassled and
> harrassed in violation of the US Constitution, which supposedly we're
> protecting.

	That's the grand irony of it, if one takes the proffered
	justifications at face value.  Being a political quasi-cynic,
	I don't believe that protection of our constitution has
	anything to do with it.  Usurpation of powers not granted to
	the government is.  This isn't rocket science.
>
> Terrorists will commit acts of violence, whether it's attaching a bomb to 
> a mule or a horse, or stealing airplanes to fly into buildings, and all 
> the
> "security" measures in the world aren't going to stop them.

	I will slow them down a bit, but look at the cost to everyone
	for the illusion of marginal increases in safety.  It is
	ludicrous.
>
> What will stop them is a few good people putting their feet down, and
> saying, "NO!!!!". The cowardly sheep in the two planes that hit the WTC 
> and
> the Pentagon caused the death of thousands of people, afraid of some
> organized punks with plastic knives-sheep, not only led to the slaughter,
> but responsible for the slaughter of thousands more.

	In some measure I agree with this, but perhaps you are being
	a bit harsh.  One would have to assume they did not know what
	fate awaited them.  Remember all the hijackings in the 1970s?
	There was no great loss of life, why would anyone expect such
	a thing as the 9/11 outcome?  I would because I'm a paranoid
	fuck, but most well-adjusted middle Americans would not be
	given to such suspicions prior to that date.  I certainly
	cannot say what I would have done had I been on either of
	those aircraft, but there is certainly a non-insignificant
	chance that I would have sat there, hoping everything would
	turn out alright.

	Besides, who knows what the situation may have been in the
	cabin.  The hijackers may have maintained the lives of the
	pilots until the very last moments, assuring them that all
	would live if they just did as they were told.  In turn,
	the captain would have PA'd the passengers, instructing them
	to remain seated and silent, that all was under control.
	Proceeding any other way, on the hijackers' part, would have been
	idiotic to a fault in the context of attaining their goals.
	So there sits everyone in quiet and dutiful subordination to
	the legitimate authority of the captain.  Five minutes before
	impact, they kill the cockpit crew swiftly, probably giving
	no hint of this to the passengers, and then slam the craft into
	the building.  It's not only plausible, but very likely the
	way it went down.  The hijackers would not have lasted long
	otherwise with a cabin full of people knowing they have nothing
	to lose from taking their best shot.
>
> Of all who died that day, I salute those in the plane that went down in
> Pittsburgh.

	Maybe.  There are all manner of rumors as to what really happened
	there, including assertions that they were shot down by USAF.  If
	this is in fact the case, it is doubtful the government would
	want to come clean about it.  There is a lot more propaganda
	value in the official story than any alternative I can think
	of, and a whole lot more risk of politically fatal criticism if 	they 
'fessed up.
	
	And who knows why they would have fought back, but I would bet
	that the hijackers screwed something up in the takeover, such
	as killing a crew member in full sight of the passengers or 	otherwise 
revealing their true intentions.  I doubt we will 	ever know the full 
truth.

	Had those people not fought back in the face of certain death, I
	would agree they were stinking cowards, but we don't know that.
	I'm wealthy enough and willing to afford them the benefit of the 	doubt in 
this case.  They paid a pretty high price for their
	unfortunate circumstances.
>